Press Releases
Cortez Masto Cosponsors Background Check Expansion Act to Reduce Gun Violence
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) and 28 of her Senate colleagues, including U.S. Senators Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), introduced the Background Check Expansion Act to expand federal background checks to the sale or transfer of all firearms by private sellers, with certain reasonable exceptions. Under current law, unlicensed or private sellers are not required to conduct a background check prior to transferring a … Continue Reading
October 25, 2017
Cortez Masto, Colleagues Demand Trump Administration Protect DACA Information
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), Kamala D. Harris (D-Calif.), Bob Menéndez (D-N.J.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), and Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) led a letter along with nearly three dozen of their colleagues to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security demanding clarity on the Trump Administration's position on the use of personal information collected from individuals as part of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) … Continue Reading
October 25, 2017
Cortez Masto Cosponsors Legislation to Create Public Health Care Option
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) cosponsored a bicameral legislation led by U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) and U.S. Representative Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) to create a Medicaid-based public health care option on the insurance marketplace, which will provide Americans with a new high-quality, low-cost choice when purchasing health insurance. "By building on the success of Medicaid expansion in Nevada, the State Public Option Act will allow all … Continue Reading
October 24, 2017
Cortez Masto: Senate Republicans Sent Clear Message, It’s Ok to Deceive and Cheat Americans
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), member of the Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee released the following statement after Senate Republicans voted to nullify the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's (CFPB) forced arbitration rule. The CFPB's rule bans companies from denying Americans their day in court by forcing them into mandatory arbitration. "Congress created the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to protect consumers from the predatory … Continue Reading
October 24, 2017
Legislation Cosponsored by Cortez Masto to Reduce Rape Kit Backlog Passes Senate
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) released the following statement applauding the passage of the Sexual Assault Forensic Evidence Reporting (SAFER) Act. The SAFER Act would reduce the nationwide rape kit backlog by reauthorizing, strengthening and extending the Sexual Assault Forensic Reporting program. "Untested rape kits that could bring justice to victims of sexual assault should not be left sitting in dusty shelves across the nation," said Cortez Masto. "The … Continue Reading
October 20, 2017
Cortez Masto, Colleagues Demand DHS Answers for Reported Violations of Sensitive Locations Policy
Las Vegas, Nev. - U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) joined a group of 20 senators in writing Acting Secretary of Homeland Security Elaine Duke to seek answers about the Department's apparent violations of policies regarding immigration enforcement at sensitive locations like schools, hospitals, and religious institutions. In September, National Public Radio reported that the parents of a two-month-old baby were apprehended at a hospital while seeking lifesaving medical care for … Continue Reading
October 20, 2017
Cortez Masto, Senate Colleagues: Reports Indicate Actual Death Count in Puerto Rico May Be 10x Greater
Las Vegas, Nev. - U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) joined Senate colleagues in signing a letter urging the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to ensure the accuracy of the official fatality count in Puerto Rico in the wake of Hurricane Maria. "We urge you to provide all necessary resources to confirm that storm-related deaths are being counted correctly, to ensure that there is sufficient cooperation with local authorities to obtain accurate information, to verify that … Continue Reading
October 20, 2017
Cortez Masto, Wicker Introduce SPEED Act
Bipartisan Measure Would Streamline Permitting Process to Expedite Broadband Rollout Las Vegas, Nev. - U.S. Senators Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) and Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) introduced today the "Streamlining Permitting to Enable Efficient Deployment of Broadband Infrastructure Act of 2017" (SPEED Act). The measure would accelerate the deployment of new broadband infrastructure to both rural and urban areas by streamlining the permitting process for telecommunications equipment that is … Continue Reading
October 19, 2017
Cortez Masto, Senate, House Democrats Push to Block Trump Administration’s Roll Back of Birth Control Mandate
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) joined today 34 Senate and House Democrats in introducing the Protect Access to Birth Control Act, legislation to rescind the Trump Administration's interim final rules issued on October 6th that allow companies to interfere in their employees' health care choices and force women to pay more for an essential part of their health care. If enacted, the Protect Access to Birth Control Act would ensure President Donald Trump's rules … Continue Reading
October 19, 2017
Cortez Masto, 22 Colleagues Urge Trump Administration to Extend Temporary Protected Status for Honduras, El Salvador
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) joined today 22 of her Senate colleagues in sending a letter to Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and U.S. Department of Homeland Security Acting Secretary Elaine Duke urging the Trump Administration to extend Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for nationals from Honduras and El Salvador living in the United States, who are contributing to the U.S. economy, paying taxes, and supporting their families. Temporary Protected Status … Continue Reading
October 19, 2017
Cortez Masto Cosponsors Legislation to Create Medicare-X, a Public Plan to Provide Low-Cost, High Quality Care
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) cosponsored legislation led by Senators Michael Bennet (D-Colo.) and Tim Kaine (D-Va.) to create Medicare-X, a public plan that would offer families, individuals, and small businesses additional, low-cost health insurance choices and create more competition in the marketplace. The Medicare-X Choice Act would build on the Medicare framework to establish a public insurance plan offered on the individual and small business health … Continue Reading
October 18, 2017
Cortez Masto: In Honor of Loved Ones Lost to Gun Violence, Congress Must Pass Commonsense Reforms
FTPs of Senator Cortez Masto's speech are available to TV stations here. "When I was preparing to deliver my maiden speech before this body, my intention was to honor the Silver State's history and people… Unfortunately, my maiden speech on the floor of this body will instead talk about mass murder." "This chamber should speak in a unified voice that these tools don't belong in our country. And this has nothing to do with infringing on the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding gun … Continue Reading
October 18, 2017
Cortez Masto Submits Letter to VA Secretary Requesting Solution to High Veteran Suicide Rate in Western States
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) submitted a letter to U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Secretary David J. Shulkin, M.D., requesting solutions to the high veteran suicide rate across the Western United States. U.S. Senator Dean Heller (R-Nev.) and Senate Veterans' Committee Ranking Member Jon Tester (D-Mont.) joined Senator Cortez Masto in this bipartisan effort. According to a 2017 report from the VA, the veteran suicide rate throughout the West in 2014 … Continue Reading
October 18, 2017
Cortez Masto, Heller Request Additional DOJ Funding to Cover Overtime Costs of Law Enforcement Response to Las Vegas Shooting
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) and Dean Heller (R-Nev.) sent a letter to U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions, asking for additional funding from the Department of Justice to cover overtime hours worked by the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department and Clark County, including the Clark County Fire Department, for their response to the October 1st shooting. The DOJ recently announced a grant award of $1 million to the State of Nevada to assist with the … Continue Reading
October 17, 2017
Cortez Masto, Heller Submit Letter to the Social Security Administration Requesting Formal Public Notice as to How It Intends to Assist Las Vegas Attack Victims, Families
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) and Dean Heller (R-Nev.) sent a letter today to Nancy A. Berryhill, Acting Commissioner of Social Security Administration and Steve Breen, Acting San Francisco Regional Commissioner (Region IX), requesting a formal public notice or an announcement regarding how it intends to assist the victims and the families of the Las Vegas attack, including special procedures for expedited enrollment and claims processing. "In response to … Continue Reading
October 17, 2017
Cortez Masto, Commerce Committee Democrats Call for FCC Oversight Hearing to Address President Trump’s Threat to Press Freedom
Senators: "FCC Chairman's failure to quickly denounce threats raises questions about FCC's ability to act independently under Chairman Pai" Washington, D.C. - Yesterday, U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) joined Senators Brian Schatz (D-Hawai'i), Tom Udall (D-N.M.), and Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.), and other members of the Senate Commerce Committee, in calling on the Chairman and Ranking Member of the committee to hold an FCC oversight hearing to highlight President Trump's attacks on … Continue Reading
October 17, 2017
Cortez Masto, Heller Urge VA to Support Veterans Impacted by Las Vegas Shooting
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) and Dean Heller (R-Nev.) today urged the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to ensure that all military veterans impacted by the mass shooting in Las Vegas on October 1, 2017, have access to the health care, benefits, and assistance they may need as they recover from the tragedy. In a letter sent to VA Secretary David J. Shulkin, Heller and Cortez Masto applauded the local VA hospital and Vet Centers for their response to … Continue Reading
October 17, 2017
VIDEO: Cortez Masto Calls for Stronger Consumer Protections in Wake of Equifax Data Breach
"We have to do a better job of protecting individuals, data, and information, because if you are the victim of identity theft, you may have to spend the rest of your life trying to reclaim your identity." "What it comes down to is this: shouldn't the consumer have the absolute right to control their information and how it's being used?" Washington, D.C. - In today's Banking, Housing, and Urban Development Committee Hearing, U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) called for stronger … Continue Reading
October 17, 2017
Cortez Masto, Capito Introduce Legislation to Encourage Young Women to Pursue STEM Education
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) and Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) released the following statement announcing Code Like a Girl Act, legislation that will create two National Science Foundation (NSF) grant programs to encourage young girls to pursue computer science. A companion bill, H.R. 3316, was introduced by Rep. Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.) in the House of Representatives. "The idea that science, tech, engineering or math are gendered is patently false, and we … Continue Reading
October 16, 2017
Cortez Masto, Heller Introduce Resolution in Honor of Las Vegas Shooting Victims
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Dean Heller (R-NV) and Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) today introduced a bipartisan resolution memorializing the victims of the mass shooting in Las Vegas, on October 1st, 2017. The resolution also recognizes the bravery of all first-responders, law enforcement officials, and emergency medical technicians on the scene, as well as the countless staff at local hospitals and hotels who assisted in the response. "The victims, their families, and the Las Vegas … Continue Reading
